IOR/L/PS/20/FO25

The volume consists of published copies of correspondence between the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India, the Admiralty, the Treasury, British administrative and diplomatic staff, foreign governments and their staff, and private companies and individuals. It was printed for use by the Foreign Office.

The volume contains the following publications:

• ‘Part XIII. Further Correspondence Respecting the Affairs of Persia. January to March 1908.’ (ff 4-206)
• ‘Part XIV. Further Correspondence Respecting the Affairs of Persia. April to June 1908.’ (ff 207-353)
• ‘Part XV. Further Correspondence Respecting the Affairs of Persia. July to September 1908.’ (ff 354-586)
• ‘Part XVI. Further Correspondence Respecting the Affairs of Persia. October to December 1908.’ (ff 587-734).

The correspondence primarily concerns events in Persia [Iran], with particular attention paid to: the financial affairs of the Persian Government and the Shah [Shāh] of Persia; the ongoing border dispute between the governments of Persia and the Ottoman Empire; the Persian Constitutional Revolution, including the forcible dissolution of the National Assembly by the Persian Cossack Brigade and the seizure of the city of Tabriz by Nationalist forces; alleged attempts made by Masud Mirza Zil-es-Sultan [Mas‘ūd Mīrzā Qājār, Zill al-Sulṭān] to depose and replace the Shah; the activities of German officials and private firms in Persia; British firms and concessions in Persia, with particular attention paid to the D’Arcy Oil Syndicate’s discovery of oil; Russian military activities on the Russo-Persian border; Anglo-Russian diplomatic relations; British support for the Shaikh of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr]; and the management of British military and diplomatic personnel in Persia.

The correspondence also covers: the activities of British naval vessels, Persian customs vessels, and Arab ‘pirates’ in the Persian Gulf; an ongoing dispute concerning authority over Bahrein [Bahrain] between the Persian and British governments; a proposal for a new coal depot at Koweit [Kuwait]; and British claims on the right to intervene on behalf of the subjects of ‘Trucial Chiefs’ in Persia.

Material written in French is present throughout the volume. This material primarily consists of diplomatic correspondence between British, Persian, Ottoman, Russian, and French officials. A table of contents is included before each publication.

The volume contains six maps, catalogued as IOR/L/PS/20/FO25, f 77, f 88, f 104, f 105, f 106, and f 139.